Lü Yi's eyes sharpened. After understanding the situation, he consulted Liang Xiao.
"When I advance, they retreat; when I retreat, they advance. We are at a disadvantage and must proceed steadily. Before the enemy's troop strength is ascertained, the cavalry cannot recklessly venture into enemy territory."
Lü Yi heartily agreed.
The Helan Mountains region was currently the territory of the Barbarians. Da Gan's intelligence on this area was limited.
Fortunately, being in the Tianjiang River basin, finding springs was not difficult, so water was not the primary concern.
The weather was bitterly cold, but the soldiers had been issued cotton clothes and armor. Even the warhorses had spare cotton horse armor, sufficient to withstand the harsh conditions.
However, Liang Xiao insisted on waiting until spring to launch the offensive, to prevent any accidents befalling the soldiers, horses, or accompanying livestock.
It was already approaching February. Compared to the deep cold of December and January, conditions had improved considerably; at least, there were no longer blizzards every day.
In a while, the Tianjiang River would thaw. The Da Gan forces would then seize control of the river passage, and the two hundred thousand strong army would no longer have to worry about water supply.
If the Barbarians were to hold out within the Helan Mountains, their water supply would be utterly insufficient.
This was precisely why Liang Xiao was confident that a decisive battle would take place in the Helan Mountains.
The struggle for water was a major factor. While it was incredibly difficult to use the Tianjiang River to flood and kill the enemy, both sides had at least two hundred thousand troops, making water acquisition essential.
If the Barbarians dared not engage, the Da Gan soldiers could advance upstream, with cavalry patrols and small boats to harass and disrupt the Barbarians' water supply.
In the afternoon, Lü Yi arranged for the entire army to find a suitable location to set up camp and prepare their meals.
With the presence of Da Gan cavalry, the Barbarian horsemen dared not come too close for harassment.
After three days of this, the Barbarians realized that their harassment was futile, and they were unwilling to launch a frontal assault, rendering their efforts useless.
Upon receiving the news, the Left Wise King sighed, "This Lü Yi has even more resolve than ten years ago!"
The Barbarians' objective was to lure the Da Gan cavalry deep into their territory with their own cavalry, then surround and annihilate them.
As the Da Gan army approached the Helan Mountains, it meant the Barbarians could mobilize their forces from their main base with increasing efficiency, now able to assemble a large cavalry force for immediate encirclement and annihilation.
"Our army numbers two hundred and fifty thousand, with sixteen thousand cavalry alone. That's enough to ensure they have no return!" the Right Wise King sneered.
The Left Wise King cautioned, "Be very careful of that half-moon formation that Liang Xiao once used. Lü Yi might employ it as well!"
"That formation requires heavy infantry and war chariots at the front to weaken the cavalry's assault. Our army just needs to temporarily halt their advance, switch to harassment, and wear them down!" the Right Wise King asserted confidently.
"That may be so, but perhaps Liang Xiao and Lü Yi have already considered this..." the Left Wise King worried.
"Can he possibly make his soldiers run faster than our iron cavalry?" the Right Wise King retorted.
Seeing the Left Wise King speechless, the Right Wise King continued, "As long as we annihilate the enemy's cavalry, the Da Gan forces will collapse without a fight. Our army will then pursue, achieving a decapitation of over a hundred thousand, and restoring our prestige!"
Even the Left Wise King had nothing more to say and could only nod.
The Right Wise King respected Lü Yi's generalship, but that did not mean he himself did not understand military strategy.
Once the Da Gan cavalry was annihilated, the Da Gan forces, stripped of their cavalry, would be endlessly harassed by the surrounding Barbarian iron cavalry, leading to their inevitable defeat!
"However, these things that have appeared in Da Gan recently are quite interesting," the Right Wise King said with a smile, placing a newspaper on the table. "All the generals must have seen the Da Gan Daily. Have you read the latest installment of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'?"
Everyone nodded, their expressions complex.
They had to admit that the people of Da Gan were more adept at entertainment.
The Right Wise King sneered, "After this battle, the Da Gan people will be disheartened. Then we will march south, feign an attack on Shuofang, and launch a surprise attack on Yunzhou! The women of Da Gan's Jiangnan region are very yielding. Have you never thought of invading the Central Plains, reaching Jiangnan, and sampling their delights?"
The generals' spirits immediately lifted.
The Right Wise King's words had a double meaning; this "sampling their delights" also included the idea of treating the tortured and deceased Da Gan women as food...
Meanwhile, in another camp, Liang Xiao and Lü Yi also recognized the importance of cavalry. They did not deploy their cavalry in large-scale attacks but instead used them for patrolling and reconnaissance around the perimeter.
Similarly, facing the steadily advancing Da Gan army, the Barbarians felt great consternation. They no longer dared to let small units approach the Da Gan forces casually, only managing to exert a deterrent effect.
As the Da Gan soldiers drew closer to the Helan Mountains, the Barbarian generals grew increasingly enraged.
The Barbarian defenders of the Helan Mountains had yet to recover from the shock of Liang Xiao's execution of seventeen thousand men. Their morale was far from what it had been ten years ago, before their defeat last year.
Even their hasty retreat last year had resulted in less than a hundred thousand losses for the Barbarians!
The morale of the Da Gan soldiers was unprecedentedly high. Facing the provocation of the Barbarians displaying corpses, they were not fearful but instead erupted in fury, their will to fight burning intensely.
The Barbarians' advantages lay in their cavalry and their control of the Helan Mountains terrain.
As the Da Gan army advanced, the armor and warhorses sent by the Tianri tribe and the Guishuang Dynasty finally arrived at the Helan Mountains.
Upon seeing the long line of wagons, the Right Wise King was astonished and delighted. "Did your two countries foresee our Barbarian nation's war with Da Gan?"
Based on travel time, transporting these supplies from the Guishuang Dynasty would take at least two, even three, months!
Transporting them from the Tianri tribe would take at least half a year!
"These items were originally goods agreed upon with you, merely an early delivery. We just didn't expect you to suffer such a swift and devastating defeat in Yanzhou," the Guishuang Dynasty envoy, Harmudji, said with a helpless expression.
The Right Wise King said gravely, "The Da Gan army has already reached the Helan Mountains, still led by Lü Yi. Our army is capable of annihilating them completely, repeating the tragic defeat of Da Gan from eleven years ago!"
Harmudji nodded in satisfaction. "Our Guishuang Dynasty's two thousand mercenary troops have also arrived and can assist you!"
The Right Wise King was ecstatic at first, then troubled. "After this transaction, we will have no more gold to pay. Can we not trade goods for goods?"
"Then we'll use silver! Whatever other goods your Barbarian nation possesses, the Guishuang Dynasty also has; we don't need them! Unless you can conquer Da Gan, take control of the Central Plains, and provide our nation with women and various treasures," Harmudji replied without hesitation.
The Right Wise King reluctantly agreed.
Valentin, who had remained silent, smiled and said, "The Tianri tribe will provide you with thirty thousand fully armed slave soldiers. Do not disappoint our tribe!"
Even the Left Wise King was secretly overjoyed.
These so-called slave soldiers could be used as a suicide squad, reducing Barbarian casualties...
Even if the slave soldiers were all wiped out, it would only mean the loss of thirty thousand sets of armor for the Tianri tribe...
"Report! Envoys from foreign countries seek an audience!"
An orderly outside reported.
"Which foreign envoys are there now?" the Right Wise King frowned.
The orderly immediately delivered a bamboo slip. After reading it, the two Barbarian kings exchanged glances and finally burst into laughter.